our little helper

Miss Marble helps select photos for the blog

She loves being in on the computer action--she's totally transfixed! And her creative juices REALLY start flowing after a glass of wine.

The un-camera-shy

While Miss Marble learns how to use the laptop, I'll just luxuriate in her new bed!

Lula really feels the need to be the top kitty here--so she's taken over the bed we hoped Marble would like . . .

Not today's picture, but pretty anyway

The backyard on Thursday morning

I thought this might merit one last school closing . . . but naw! Now it's mostly mush anyway. Nice thing about snow at this time of the year is that you can sort of justify not getting out the shovel....

Introducing Miss Marble

No, really, they are friends . . .

A few weeks ago we found a playmate for Lula . . . and here she is! We didn't want to blog on her right away because I thought I might have an allergy (which would mean we might have had to find a different home for her). But we've controlled the allergy!

She's named Miss Marble-- she is black and white just like a marble composition book. She has big funny paws, and a strange way of using them . . . she's sort of goofy... very playful and sweet.

We'll give her her own photo soon, but we didn't want Lula to be jealous.

Jingle Bells! March is Swell!

big, beautiful, fat chunks of snow

It's funny how unwelcoming people can be about snow in March . . . I mean, if this snow had been falling in December, people would be humming little Christmas tunes all day long. Anyway, Lula liked to watch the snow, and we didn't mind either. Though now little Lula is curled up in an uncharacteristically lethargic state on our bed. She didn't even come down when I called her for dinner . . . I hope she is not sick. Now I have THAT to worry about. Parents, how do you remain sane when your sweet babies get sick? I'm being driven to distraction because my cat is sleepy! Heavens.

St. Pat's

Just before Corned Beef and Cabbage . . .

St. Patrick's day on May 21? Yes! Particularly if Corned Beef and Cabbage are on the menu at Jean's! We ate all manner of Irish and green items . . . Including Key Lime Pie and a Pistachio Cake! And to top it all off, we have been graced by a real St. Patrick this weekend, that is if St. Patrick comes from Brooklyn, not Ireland. Ken's friend Patrick has been visiting this weekend, and came with us to dinner at Ken's mom's place.

So now, back at home & stuffed with good food, it's awfully hard to concentrate on the paper and presentation that must be completed before Thursday.

Oh, and lest you think Spring wasn't welcomed in appropriately here, we did have a little bit of snow . . . I guess my declaration of yesterday was a bit premature.

Oh my Blog! It's Spring!

I'm not sure WHAT it is, but I know it means spring!

Today was the first day that really seemed like Spring! (At least the first day we have not been working...) We opened up some windows and did as much cleaning as possible. Even though starting a little Spring cleaning actually makes me realize how much there really is to be done, it feels good to at least have a start.

Lemme just tell you how sweet Baking Soda is! If you sprinkle it very liberally around a scummy bathtub, it practically scrubs the tub for you. And you don't need to worry about toxic residue! Then wash it down the drain with a little white vinegar, and your drain gets a scrubbing too . . .

In honor of the springy day, I took down the yellowing wreath on our front door. It was very pathetic, but I just didn't want to have a front door with NOTHING! We have Indian Corn for Fall, we get a green wreath for Winter, but WHAT will we do for spring and summer?

Life is so hard.

Art opening . . .

Sylvia Plath on her third trimester

Today was the opening of the Look! Literature! art show . . . it's going really well! People are having quite a lot of fun with it. It does help to start with poems like Plath's. I remember reading this poem when I was about 14, and it taking me FOREVER to realize what was going on. Isn't it a treat? Kara, is this accurate? (Maybe we should add your bowling ball metaphor!)

blog-worthy?

Over the sink . . .

Dearest family readers,

You may have noticed a recent flurry of blogs on this site. The unusually high rate of blogging is due to some encouragement we have recieved from our loyal fan base. However, we wonder whether when one begins to post photos of the window above the kitchen sink (with no connection to any interesting circumstance like rennovation), whether it might be better to not blog on days that aren't blog-worthy.

Questionably blog-worthy things that happened today:
1) E. attends annual Farmers Market meeting and is introduced as a "Market Master"
2) E. and K. eat ravioli for dinner
3) Dad calls E. "just to talk," E. misses call :(
4) K. photographs new versions of poetry/art installation
5) E. empties dirt devil.

Maybe every-other day would be better . . .

For Maggie!

Moooo!

Sometimes, if we are very lucky, we see some nice cows on our walks. Whenever we do I think of Maggie, and how much she loves cows. This one looks a little cold . . .

What would the Tomten say? Something about spring coming and the fields being full of hay. So if you are ready for spring, think of the Tomten's words, and before you know it, the daffodils will be pushing up out of the ground.

But is it art?

Another satisfied patron of the arts

When I explained to the lady at the hardware store that I was going to hang big sheets of galvanized steel in an art gallery so that people could mess around with giant poetry magnets, she looked at me and said, "That's art?" I shrugged.

On the first day of the "Look! Literature!" show, plenty of people strolled through the gallery, stopped in their tracks, and began playing around on the big board. Slowly but surely we're going to fill up the gallery with photos of the lines and phrases the participants create.

Next, the magnets

A Writing Center Art Show is born.

Soon this wall of steel sheets will be covered with giant poetry magnets! Poems by Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and William Carlos Williams will be featured refrigerator magnet style--with an invitation: Please DO touch the art! Soon all the students walking by will have the opportunity to rearrange the existing poems into their own creations... which will later be destroyed in the process of making new creations... which will later be destroyed!

Stray cat!

Look who came out of the woods!

If you look close, she even has whiskers. When real spring arrives, we'll have a regular ol' compost pile already started.

We saw 2 Pileated Woodpeckers in our back woods today! We also saw a rusted-out oil tank and an old lawnmower . . . Ah, the sublime pleasures of rural life.

Ice-cream in winter

Mmmmm... the Dairy Bar

How many towns can truly boast both world-class basketball players and ice-cream? And while one may have to camp out on concrete to get basketball tickets, the lines at the Dairy Bar are usually pretty fast moving . . . anyone want to visit? While many students are sunning themselves on the beaches of Florida, we are enjoying a quiet campus . . .

The man in the photo is eating a singular sundae of cherry vanilla ice-cream with raspberry topping. Under the mountain of whipped cream to the right is a peanut-butter fudge swirl treat. Note the pastoral setting through the windows.

This morning after stepping out in the snow SEVERAL times to clap at the naughty squirrels on our birdfeeder, I devised a plan. I'll let you know in a few days if indeed a Crisco covered pole for the birdfeeder keeps the squirrels away.

Every Dollar Counts

May I take your pledge?

The radio station just finished another wildly successful on-air fundraiser--AND WE HAYELPED! Our friend Beth has a radio show called THE ZERO HOUR, and we answered phones during her time slot for the 2005 RADIOTHON.

Here, Emily tries to squeeze another $25 out of a kind donor. "What do you mean you can only give $10? Where are your priorities? Don't you want a complimentary tote bag?"

Needless to say, we raised tons of cash, despite the lack of enthusiasm displayed by the hapless boy in the background.